It’s Athfest week here in Athens, a week in which the city trots out its local talent (and a few select out-of-towners) like the show ponies and stallions that they are, all under the watchful gaze of the hateful Georgia sun.  Athfest is a blast, though it is perhaps the most unfortunately named festival in an America (pretend you’re saying it with a lisp) that also hosts Bonnaroo and Bumbershoot.  The Club Crawl offers a lot of bang for the buck ($15 in advance; $20 at Athfest), and there are a wealth of great bands playing on Athfest’s outdoor stages.  Besides all of the music, there is an artist market and lots of events for kids.  The Athfest organizers do a great job of keeping the daytime musical acts family friendly, so folks with kids shouldn’t have to worry about swear words and such.  Buy those kids some sunscreen, though!

Sadly, last Friday’s destruction of the Georgia Theatre has cast a pallor over the whole event, necessitating some last minute changes from Athfest organizers and bands.  The Georgia Theatre’s shows have been moved to the Morton Theatre, itself a fine facility, but it won’t be the same; the Morton is a smaller, seated establishment that doesn’t scream “rawk show.”  Still, the thing must go on, and I thought I’d offer up some of my picks.  As with any “club crawl”-style music festival, multiple acts will be playing at the same time.  It’s annoying, but it’s also a testament to the depth of our music scene.

Here are some of my favorites.  If I left something off, it is because I am an idiot, and not necessarily because the band stinks.  This is hard!

THURSDAY, JUNE 25TH

8:00 PM
The Flagpole Music Awards — Morton Theatre
$3 with Athfest wristband/$7 advance/$9 at the door
This annual back-slapping, ballot-stuffing popularity contest has all of the hallmarks of any awards show: banal jokes, overlong running time, awkward presenters, terrible acceptance speeches, and things you’ve never heard of winning awards.  In other words: I love it!  I’ve also seen some transcendent shows here, including Hope for agoldensummer’s Campbell sisters singing with their parents and Matthew from Phosphorescent playing in darkness, looping his voice over and over again.  The music selection this year is actually one of the best I’ve seen: Deaf Judges, Lazer/Wülf, Betsy Franck, Creepy, Lefty Hathaway, Art Rosenbaum, Casper & the Cookies, and Dead Confederate!

10:00 PM
Supercluster — Little Kings Shuffle Club
Free!
Vanessa Briscoe Hay of Pylon assembled a phalanx of talent for her new band, including members of Casper & the Cookies, New Sound of Numbers/Sound Houses, Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System, and more.  Last time I saw them they sounded a little like a combo of Jefferson Airplane, This Heat, and Doc Watson.  No, I’m not joking.  The band is soldiering on despite the tragic death of guitarist Randy Bewley (also of Pylon) early this year.

Supernaut — Caledonia Lounge
$6 (21+) $8 (18+)
Lot of “super”s tonight!  Members of Producto, Cinemechanica, and Maserati come together for a female-fronted Black Sabbath tribute band, which is just a great idea.  Also playing this show are The Ice Cream Men (Van Halen covers) and Powerload (AC/DC numbers).

DJ Mahogany/Very Disco: A Daft Punk Tribute — 40 Watt
$5/free with Flagpole Music Awards ticket
Two of Athens’ best DJs put together a heck of a dance party.  DJ Mahogany knows more about soul, funk, and R&B than anybody in town.  Very Disco features Immuzikation replicating (sans giant pyramid) the over-the-top dance-pop of French robots Daft Punk.

Also worth checking out: The beautiful, piano-driven Hola Halo at Flicker (plus some other great acts) and reliable experimental krautrock Garbage Island and co. at Max Canada.  Only Thursday and already so many good shows!

ALL FOUR DAYS

11:00 AM
Athens Music History Tour — Welcome Center Kiosk in front of City Hall
$15 ($10 with wristband)
This two-hour tour will take you through the rich history of the Athens music scene, including the REM trestle and steeple.  Not only will this be a lot of fun for Athens music aficionados, it should be a nice tour of the Classic City itself, as it weaves its way through some of our most colorful neighborhoods.

It’s a sad day here in Athens, GA.  I was planning on writing up my Athfest picks today, but early this morning, I was awoken with news that the historical Georgia Theatre was on fire.  It was about 8:00 AM.  I drove downtown to check out the scene and things were pretty bad.  Downtown was bathed in smoke and all of the power was out.  The streets were blocked off, but plenty of onlookers braved the acrid air (I still smell like a campfire) to gawk at the firemen doing their thing from the cherry pickers.

As with all tragic events, people become instant experts and speculators, equally cynical and dunderheaded:

“They wet the bricks to keep them from crumbling.”
“They have to recharge the water pressure every ten minutes.”
“It was probably for insurance.”
“They have to make way for the new parking garage.”
“Definitely an electrical fire.”
“Definitely arson.”
“Definitely a cigarette or something.”
“Drew Barrymore is in town…Firestarter anyone?” (Credit to Matt Blanks for this…apparently Ms. Barrymore has been out and about Athens)
“Think they’ll be ready by Athfest?” (Seriously!)

The truth is there is very little truth right now.  We’ll eventually learn the cause of the fire, and the “did it for insurance” cloud will hang over it for some time.  According to the Athens Banner-Herald, owner Wilmot Greene (a pal) promises to rebuild if at all possible.  Spoken like a true insurance defrauder, by the way!  11 bands were scheduled to play Athfest at the Georgia Theatre, so the organizers are looking to move the acts to the other grand theater of Athens, the Morton.  Super nice guys Perpetual Groove have moved their two GA Theatre shows to the Classic Center and will donate proceeds to the rebuilding of the Theatre.

It’s sad to lose a venue, but it’s especially sad to lose one as significant as the Theatre.  The indie rock curmudgeons love to point out that the Georgia Theatre caters to hippie and fratty crowds, and there is no denying that the place has been Ground Zero for the jam scene in Athens.  And for good reason!  It was a professionally run venue with a large capacity and a great sound system.  And, sure, there were always questions about the cleanliness of the taps, and sometimes your shoes could stick to the floors.  Before the recent $750k renovations, I was scared of one of the bathrooms.  But the Georgia Theatre, especially in recent years, embodied the catholic tastes of the town writ large, in much the same manner as the Bonnaroo Music Festival.  Sure, jam bands played there, but so did Ghostface, Talib Kweli, New Pornographers, David Byrne, and Beck, to name a few national acts.  Locally, bands as diverse as We Versus The Shark, Deaf Judges, Casper & the Cookies, The Buddy System, Packway Handle Band, Don Chambers, and Mouser have graced its stage.  The clientele was as diverse as any in town, and the Theatre was shedding its patchouli and baseball caps image.

The Georgia Theatre has been many things to this town.  It’s been a YMCA with a swimming pool.  Supposedly, UGA basketball teams played there.  It was a movie theatre.  It was a music venue a few times.  During the late 90s and early 00s, it was one of Athens’ only outlets for indie/arthouse flicks beyond the shows.  Pylon, Widespread Panic, and REM have all played there.  It’s been a presence in our thriving downtown scene for 20 years now.

On a personal note, the place means a lot to me.  I proposed to a future ex-wife there during a Cheap Trick show.  I’ve seen tons of great shows there.  I slept through an REM secret show (the phone was in the other room!) that I heard was epic.  My band practiced there every weekend for a couple of months, culminating in a week-long session with David Barbe.  During that time we got…intimate with the intricacies of the building, exploring the coal tunnels underneath and climbing up into the wings to look down on the stage.  That week we made our third album was drunken, exasperating, passionate, chaotic, and wonderful, all of the things a good recording session should be.  I’m now listening to those sessions wistfully, a document of acoustics that no longer exist and a tribute to the character of one of America’s most unique venues.  They don’t make them like that anymore.  For a week and some change, it was a second home for us, and I’ll miss it.

I wish Wil Greene and the Theatre staff the best as we begin a new phase in the life of one of Athens’ more remarkable spaces.

Oh, on a bad timing note: “wow” to the (great) Texas band the Theater Fire playing TONIGHT at Athens’ Farm 255.

Andrew Bird and Calexico are playing at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre tonight!

Yes, it’s in the Perimeter. Yes, it’s on the north side of town. Yes, it is also a gorgeous looking and hopefully, sounding, venue. It’s actually the only concert venue in Atlanta I haven’t been to yet. This is a must-see show and tickets are still on sale. Bird put on a stellar set at Bonnaroo this past weekend but an intimate venue is a far better place to showcase his full sound. See you tonight.

[mp3] Andrew Bird – Oh No

Photos by Nick Licata

Tessa: Hey guys! The blog I write, Drive A Faster Car, is based in Atlanta and you’re playing at The Earl there in two days. Have you guys played in Atlanta before?
Portugal. The Man: Yeah, yeah… It was two floors…
Tessa: The Earl? The Loft/Vinyl? Star Bar?
PTM: No, it’s big and weird…
Tessa: The Masquerade?
PTM: Yes, The Masquerade.
Tessa: How did you guys end up at The Masquerade?
PTM: I can’t imagine they knew what we sounded like [before booking us]… It felt a little out of place.
Tessa: It’s usually a lot of punk and heavy metal bands at The Masquerade. They definitely do some indie rock shows as well.
PTM: We had a good time at that show though. Got a bass in the face. It was pretty punk rock.
Tessa: So you had a great set tonight and you have one more tomorrow during the day – how are your festival sets in comparison to your usual tour sets?
PTM: For Bonnaroo, we had an hour so we had to cut the fat off of our setlist. We usually we play about an hour and a half. The festival thing is new to us so we’re figuring it out.
Tessa: Is this your first festival?
PTM: Yeah, yeah. We’ve done big shows but it wasn’t anything like this one. We’re hitting up the entire summer festival circuit.
Tessa: And you have a new album coming out in July too and I hear the artwork has some kind of Transformers qualities to it.
PTM: [laughs] It came together really good, just the way it should’ve. I was pretty surprised to be honest. I brought it to Austin — Austin Sellers — he’s the guy that I worked with for all that stuff. I remember I first gave it to him and he was just like “Fuck you, they’ll never let us do this. They’re going to make me work forever on this. It’ll never get pressed.” And uh, we worked it out so it was a really simple piece. It was one cut out of one piece of paper. There’s no plastic in it or anything like that. We saved money in some areas and went overboard in others, so it evens out.

Tessa: So music-wise, how is your new album different from your previous ones?
PTM: Um, I think with the new record we picked up where we left off. I think it was more of an approach to less of a jam than we’ve run with in the past. Which is good for us to do! I think we really needed to make a record like that. Where we actually brought our influences in more. Which is all oldies radio station stuff like The Beatles, Zombies, Sam Cooke. So we wrote some really short structures and it worked out for the best. It’s a little hard to write a pop song. I feel like everybody thinks it’s a cop-out to write a pop song, but it’s actually pretty hard.
Tessa: So this change is just due to you wanting to incorporate more of your influences, not constructing it for radio or the like?
PTM: I think it would be fucking stupid for us to do it for that reason. You have to play music for yourself. In the end, we all listen to The Beatles. With the state of music today, I don’t think there would even be a question of it. It would be just silly to write for radio. It would be fucking cool if they would play us though.
Tessa: What bands are you seeing at Bonnaroo while you’re here?
PTM: Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors… I wish we were staying longer. Beastie Boys, [I] was talking about Phoenix maybe. I thought it would be nice to hang out Saturday too, but we have to miss out. And we’re going to run into half these bands playing on other festival stops.
Tessa: You guys are doing the whole summer festival circuit, right?
PTM: Yeah definitely. We’re playing Lollapalooza, Outside Lands and a lot in Europe.
Tessa: So you have a new album coming out. I’ve read the first line and last line of your new record, and a little explanation behind the correlation, but I was having trouble understanding if it was positive or negative towards Alaska and how it relates to the band as a whole?
PTM: Oh it’s positive for sure. It was a reference to the title. The record wasn’t necessarily about religion. Actually, just thinking about it right now, 90% of that record is not about religion. It was probably more, more than that. It was more a record about escape, a record about learning what you really need to get by, and getting over the things you feel you need to give in.
Tessa: Okay last question — Favorite up-and-coming bands from Portland? Besides you guys of course.
PTM: I got two bands for you: Builders and Butchers and Red Fang. They’re [Red Fang] my love. They’re fucking bad ass. I’m going to throw Hello Electric in there too. I think Hello Electric is bad as fuck.

1. EveryBlock has finally come to Atlanta! Track news in your neighborhood. EveryBlock Atlanta
2. Magic Wands have a great new video for their single, “Warriors.” Video on YouTube
3. The founders of one of my personal favorite music sites, Last.fm, have stepped aside. Story from Mashable
4. The drought is over! You can water your lawn again. (If there’s anything left of it.) More from WSBTV
5. The Ferst Center For The Arts at Georgia Tech has announced their 2009/2010 Season Ferst’s Calendar of Events
6. Drive A Faster Car Editor-In-Chief, Tessa Horehled, and Contributor, Jonathan Williams, are heading up to Bonnaroo tomorrow and will have updates from the road with artists playing this year’s festival. You can also follow our trip on Twitter for live coverage.

From his groundbreaking work with avant new wave/post punk band the Talking Heads in the ’80s to more recent experimental works such as his New York art installation that allows one to play the pipes of a building like a musical instrument, David Byrne has always straddled the mainstream and fringe outskirts of the art world. This weekend he not only performs at Bonnaroo, bringing elements of his over-the-top spectacle of a tour from last summer to an even larger audience, but he has also been chosen to curate an entire stage of acts at the festival (an honor not previously bestowed upon any artist).

As music fans descend upon rural Tennessee for the show, Byrne took some time to discuss his performance and the process of choosing bands for his curated stage.

Continue reading Bonnaroo Preview: David Byrne

When it was first announced in March that Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction would be touring together, I found myself simultaneously excited and confused. On the one hand, here were two bands that helped pioneer the alternative music craze of the ’90s who hadn’t toured together since the inaugural Lollapalooza in 1991. On the other hand, the pairing seemed similar to one of those that ’80s hair metal and new wave bands do every spring and summer, where a group of once popular acts that would otherwise be forced to play small clubs is packaged together in hopes of attracting larger crowds.

Considering that Trent Reznor has put out some of the best music of his career in the past few years, and just recently finished the Lights in the Sky tour, which was not only financially successful but also one of the most amazing visual and aural spectacles to ever hit the road, it’s clear that Nine Inch Nails wouldn’t be resorting to club tours anytime soon. And with the original lineup of Jane’s Addiction reuniting for the first time since that same Lollapalooza tour, the NIN/JA tour, as it has been dubbed, would clearly be less about ’90s nostalgia and more about making rock history.

After performing its first two dates in West Palm Beach and Tampa, the tour came to Atlanta on May 10, with a solid crowd filling the seats and lawn of Lakewood Amphitheatre. Helping rekindle the Lollapalooza spirit was the Street Sweeper Social Club, a new project spearheaded by Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine and Boots Riley of The Coup. Though I heard most of the band’s set while waiting in the brilliantly unorganized will call line for tickets, I was able to catch the last song of the set, which sounded awesome.

Surprisingly, keyboards and electronic equipment were then brought to the front of the stage, indicating that NIN, not Jane’s Addiction, was up next (apparently the two bands are switching slots each night of the tour). Though many commented on how odd it would be to see NIN perform in the daylight, once the band launched into “999,999″ and “1,000,000″ from last year’s “The Slip” no one really seemed to be paying attention to anything else.

This version of NIN was more stripped down, both in stage production and personnel, than we’ve seen on recent tours. With drummer Josh Freese and keyboardist Alessandro Cortini leaving the band late last year, the current lineup is a streamlined four-piece with longtime guitarist/keyboardist Robin Finck, bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen and new drummer Ilan Rubin (formerly of lostprophets). And with retina scarring strobes and white lights replacing the last tour’s over-the-top production, NIN relied more on performance energy than anything else for this show.

The band’s career-spanning set included well-known songs such as “Wish,” “Mr. Self Destruct” and “The Hand That Feeds” as well as some obscurities, such as the band’s covers of Gary Numan’s “Metal” and Adam Ant’s “Physical.” During one of his few pauses to address the audience, Reznor talked about how happy he is to have reached a point where he can play “whatever we want” rather than please record labels and radio stations with hits (the band didn’t even play “Closer”). He also said that hopefully in the future bands can play without having to deal with “shitty promoters,” but refrained from naming names.

Other highlights of the band’s hour-and-a-half set included an audience member flashing her boobs (though I still don’t know why she decided to do it at the end of a melancholy ballad like “Something I Can Never Have” instead of during a sexed-up track like “Reptile”) and the emergence of underground hip-hop hero Saul Williams during the band’s performance of “Survivalism”. Williams remained onstage to perform “Banged and Blown Through” from his Reznor-produced “The Inevitable Rise and Liberation Of Niggy Tardust” before joining Janelle Monae, Andre 3000 and other Atlanta hip-hoppers in a VIP box to watch the rest of the show.

While following NIN, who closed with the obligatory “Head Like A Hole,” is always difficult to follow, Jane’s Addiction is one of the few bands that can do it. Despite the contrast in styles, with NIN being more aggressive and melancholy while Jane’s has a much trippier free-love kind of vibe, the two bands meshed well.

With bassist Eric Avery, who has sat out previous reunion tours, back in the fold, the band seemed reinvigorated during its performance. Perry Farrell, in a burgundy catsuit-like outfit, hit the stage with such ferocity that he apparently tore a calf muscle during the first song, though it wasn’t apparent and the band played a full set. I’ve never really understood why people love Jane’s so much, though the only other time I’ve seen the band live was at Lollapalooza 2003. The androgynous chemistry between Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro however, as well as the impressive musicianship of Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins, proved to be just the right combination to show me why people have loved Jane’s Addiction since the onset of the alternative revolution.

From the funk of “Whores” to the celebratory sadness of “Then She Did…”, the band took the audience on an emotionally charged adventure for the next hour or so. And though he probably needs little stimulation to make him as endearingly loopy as he was between songs, Farrell bantered about how he loves coming to “the Dirty South” and used his love of shopping in “the Five Points” (I think he meant Little Five Points) to segue into “Been Caught Stealing.”

A curtain lowered before the band played “Ted, Just Admit It…” and footage from Natural Born Killers was projected across it alongside other film snippets. This would probably have been the perfect time for the titty flasher from NIN’s set to do her thing, but she was nowhere to be seen at this point.

For its encore, Jane’s played “Summertime Rolls” and “Stop!”, with Farrell again bantering, this time about how he likes to eat watermelon for some reason. And with Navarro exiting the stage, the band finished as a trio with “Jane Says.”

The tour continues through June 12, with NIN going on to perform at Bonnaroo that weekend. The last time these two bands crossed paths, it launched NIN into the mainstream while causing Jane’s to disband. But with Reznor rumored to be producing a new Jane’s album, and claiming that this will be the last NIN tour for the foreseeable future, the irony of this tour is all the more apparent.

All photos courtesy of Maryelle St. Clare, meowhousemedia.com

• New Placebo Video For What It’s Worth http://tr.im/jsh9 #
• JUST ANNOUNCED! Superdrag at The Loft in Atlanta on 06/20! Tix on sale May 1st! http://tinyurl.com/dew7v2 (via @CenterStageAtl) #
• Concerts Tonight in Atlanta: Acid Mother’s Temple @EARL_EAV, Lamb of God @tabernacleatl, Doria Roberts @ Eddie’s Attic #
• Yay! They put a traffic light at 17th Street & Howell Mill Road. Finally. #
• First song I flipped on to hear on the “new” @99x is a crappy old Blink-182 track. Have you learned nothing @99x??? #
• Krog Street is paved! What a treat! #
• http://twitpic.com/3st5k – Highland Tap 20th Anniversary media preview #
• Also, Sonorous Gale http://bit.ly/3wbFX2 tonight at WonderRoot! http://bit.ly/130hEy #
• Dine Out For Life tonight at local restaurants. 20% goes to Open Hand. http://tinyurl.com/dfbebt #
• If you were wondering, Shazam sucks for classical music. #
• Does anyone know what’s on NPR Atlanta right now? #
• Viola > Violin #
• Finally working on my “ultimate” mixtape. Going to use many favorite underrated songs. #
• Argh. Just flipped through the entire Doves catalogue and can’t find the song I’m looking for! #
• I was really trying to do an upbeat mix but it’s just not going to happen. Sad bastard music galore. #
• Who really ever makes a mix that is only 10 songs? Even cassettes could fit at least 12. #
• Very true!! @driveafastercar It depends. Prog mixes: 6 songs, Punk mixes: 35 songs. (via @trskaidkaphobia) #
• Neutral Milk Hotel was nixed from the list. It’s a mix people. I have to commit to a direction. Lots of great bands/tracks won’t make it… #
• Which also means Dylan has to go. And R.E.M. #
• I was going to include you Carla Bruni but somehow the track I needed isn’t in my iTunes anymore? That’s one easy way to prune this list! #
• Carla Bruni – “Tout Le Monde” http://tr.im/jtRU #
• Just realized how High Fidelity this is. Except I don’t have a crush on @ChadRad I’ll burn him a mix + pass it over dj booth #
• SWOON! here’s another current obsession – “Daniel” by @Bat_For_Lashes live on Jools Holland: http://tr.im/jtRC (via @criminalrecords) #
• I have a circus gig @ Tongue & Groove Thurs night. I’m juggling & hooping, with friends on trapeze, stilts, & fire fans. (via @greenmonk) #
• Think I got the mix done. Off to grab a couple drinks with @wehriam then I may revisit… #
• Colbert with Ira Glass was kinda of awesome. #
• Dear Comedy Central, I don’t think you could physically have a longer embed code for your videos. Work on that. Love, DaFC #
• I can’t decide whether to make a pot of coffee or finally go to sleep. #
• This American Life Live Around Atlanta Tonight http://tr.im/jv1Y #
• Sounds like a fail! Sucks! – COFFEE – I just picked up some at McDs and proceeded to dump it all over my shoes.(via @jnwilliams76) #
• Before the last bridge blows, I know I will propose. ? http://blip.fm/~4te4e #
• It fucks with your honor and it teases your head ? http://blip.fm/~4tef5 #
• Bonnaroo Preview: Andrew Bird http://tr.im/jvcx #
• Bed time. Will probably be up in an hour. zzzzzzzz #
• *six hours later…* Well I feel better! Upset I slept half the day. Le sigh. #
• Is it turned off? — Hm. So that light at 17th and howell? It’s rock if it worked >=( (via @theleila) #
• Atlanta gallery owner Constance Lewis made CL’s “Happy” cover story this week: http://is.gd/u7N1 (via @acp11) #
• Task 1: Downloading the backlog of music in my Inbox. #
• Listening to Sleepy Sun “Embrace” out May 26th on ATP/R #
• FREE All the Saints tracks: http://tinyurl.com/c6yktv (via @mirandalange) – Atlanta band done good on Touch & Go. #
• Reading: What Happens To An Album’s Pre-Release Cycle In An Era Of Leaks, Low Sales, And Dead Magazines? http://bit.ly/D1Pe7 #
• New Army Navy video! Check out debut of “Saints” http://tr.im/jxib #
• Tonight — Trac Team Presents: Night Of The Creeps 2 with The Varsity & Big Chad Famous $5, 18+ (via @drunkenunicorn) #
• Beautiful day, perfect for the women’s social bike ride! 7-9 p.m. Starts at Charis Book s in L5P. http://is.gd/u8z6 (via @jamieg) #
• Welcome to Twitter, @PlazaAtlanta – Atlanta’s only true indie theater has joined in on the fun. http://www.plazaatlanta.com (via @BlastOff_ATL) #
• Dear EMI, I hate your promo download service. It’s already watermarked. At least work. Love, DaFC #
• Hugely belated… listening to Cursive “Mama, I’m Swollen” http://tr.im/jxvB #
• FM:Race ride tonight at 6:30! http://bit.ly/TNC37 (via @fastermustache) #
• YESSS!!! Everyone welcome Atlanta’s “premier” adult entertainment club @magiccityatl to Twitter! (pinging @strutteratlanta) #
• Come see Friday the 13th tonight at 9:45 – it’s your LAST CHANCE to see this on the big screen! (via @PlazaAtlanta) #
• Alice Walker Archive Opens at Emory Today http://tr.im/jxJG #
• Junior Boys with Max Tundra @earl_eav on May 2nd is almost sold out!!! http://tinyurl.com/cefl9s (via @Ohmpark) #
• NPR: Why Can’t Detroit Cash In On Its Music Scene? (story feat. The Detroit Cobras) http://tr.im/jxln
  Catch them @EARL_EAV June 6th. #
• It feels counter-intuitive to sign up for email lists when my Inbox is packed… Better than more RSS feeds? Hm. #
• Listening to Nite Club “My Tronic” — really liking this one… indie electro blip? Makes me want to dance. http://tr.im/jxQm #
• Follow @reverbnation! (via @DavidDufresne) #
• Hang out with the @AtlRollergirls at the Brewhouse tonight! 10% of all profits made after 5PM are being donated to the Atlanta Rollergirls. #
• Smoke N Mirrors tonight at Whiskey Park. Sounds by DJ What! + Smiles + Greg Mike Hosted by Christys’ Hats http://ow.ly/3EXh (via @chadavid) #
• Upcoming Atlanta events! (Flyers. Tons.) http://tr.im/iwoi #
• Listening to Peter Doherty’s “Grace / Wastelands” http://tr.im/jy2U A lot more mellow than I was expecting. Sounds very… honest, for Pete. #

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is hosting it’s eighth annual event this June 11-14 in Manchester, Tennessee. Over 120 bands, more than 20 comedians and a plethora of film and art will be encompassing 13 stages plus additional spaces over the four days. The largest and most revered music and camping event in the country, Bonnaroo has elevated the American rock festival to an unprecedented level.

One of the artists I am anxious to catch at this year’s festival is Chicago’s Andrew Bird who checked in briefly yesterday from France to talk about this year’s Bonnaroo. “Festivals are in a category of their own,” explains Bird. “Playing to sea of people pulls something out of you, you didn’t even know you had.” He continued to explain that the festival is very unique in comparison to other big rock festivals and declared that “it’s got that Southern hospitality.”

Photo Credit: Chad Molloy

Bird has recently had some violin trouble when it crashed to the floor last week during a performance of “Fake Palindromes.” According to his website, it is now repaired and was back in service the following day.

Bird has recently announced announced a few additional tour dates with artists such as The Decemberists, Death Cab For Cutie and Ra Ra Riot. He will also be performing at this year’s Lollapalooza (August 7-9).

To see Andrew Bird and the full roster of artists at this year’s Bonnaroo, check out the official festival website to purchase tickets and peruse the lineup.

• Dine Out For Earthquake Relief Tonight http://tr.im/jmsz #
• 10 days left to enter to win tickets to see Black Kids @ The Loft! http://tr.im/jmun #
• PJ Harvey & John Parish are at Center Stage June 2nd! Get tix asap before it sells out! http://tr.im/jmAs #
• LOL! I’m following 666 people on Twitter. Who should 667 be? #
• I am hugely digging Gliss “Devotion Implosion” http://tr.im/jmKt #
• Tinted Windows on Letterman Tonight http://tr.im/jmYd #
• Dear publicists, Don’t email my contributing writers then get pissy when they forward stuff to me. Love, Tessa #
• Totally random question: Does Bonnaroo have wifi? #
• Electric Six show @Lennysbar this Saturday (4/25) is a no smoking show (smoking allowed on the patio). Pass it on (via @OKProductions) #
• Why are Black Kids, Cursive/Man Man and David Mead all the same night??? (May 1) Going to try to hit all three… #
• Feels odd to email a label about being on guestlist for band whose parents I’ve had dinner with (many, many years ago) + have seen over 200x #
• Crap. Diplo is May 1 too! #
• Word is the AJC is discontinuing Skirt! Magazine. May is the last issue. (via @MarkMeltzer) #
• Do any of you music bloggers use Adroll? Thoughts? #
• Was going to go to the Tumblr meetup tonight at the Clermont Lounge but have too much work to do Have fun guys! #
• Wow it’s strange to switch to Garnacha after drinking Tempranillo! #
• Come back baby ? http://blip.fm/~4qmqw #
• Featured Contest: Diplo! http://tr.im/jqm4 #
• Crap. I have to create my *ultimate* mixtape by 10AM tomorrow. BLAH. For serious? Better get to it! #
• Hot Chip prepare to get mellow on their next record: http://tinyurl.com/c73k3m (via @SPINmagazine) #
• Waiting to get on a phone press conference with Andrew Bird, Aziz Ansari and Gregg Gillis of Girl Talk. Taking. Forever. #
• Great Northern is performing live on KCRW today! Tune in at 2pm EST at kcrw.com (via @eeniemeenierecs) #
• Andrew Bird on Bonnaroo, “It’s got that Southern hospitality.” #
• Get the mp3 of the Field’s “The More That I Do” off of Yesterday And Today (out 5/19) compliments of Pitchfork: http://tinyurl.com/c3mrr8 #
• “Festivals are in a category of their own — Playing to sea of people pulls something out of you, you didn’t even know you had.” Andrew Bird #
• “I hired the band Fleet Foxes to be my personal security team.” Aziz Ansari – ROFL! #
• Those entering to win @Diplo tickets need to get more creative with your entries — you’ve got a lot of competition! http://tr.im/jqm4 #
• ATL Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce holding spring mixer @ No Mas in Castleberry Hill 4/24, 5:30-7:30pm. http://tinyurl.com/cw87sc #
• What are your favorite Atlanta zines? – please RT! #
• Loving Bill Callahan “Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle” http://tr.im/js8r #
• Highland Tap Celebrates 20th Anniversary http://tr.im/jscX #